Biased balling bag



June 10, 1952 H. B, KATZ 2,600,300

BIASED BALLING BAG Filed Aug. 28, 1950 latentecl` June 10, 1952 BIS'ED BALLING BAG Harry B. Katz, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Great WcsternBag Company,l St. Louis,H Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application August 28, 1950, Serial No. 181,790

The present invention relates generally tothe bag art, and more particularly to a bag for balling nursery stock and the like which is formed with the material on the bias to provide tight fitting characteristics, and to a method of forming the same.

In brief, the present invention comprisesv a nursery stock balling bag preferably formed of burlap or other suitable material which is cut and sewed on the bias so that the bag will readily conform to a ball of dirt about a plant. Initially, a biased tube is formed which is gathered and secured at one end. The open end of the bag receives the ball of dirt of the nursery stock and may be drawn tightly about such ball of dirt to prevent loosening thereof, a string, wire or the like, being employed to draw the upper edges of the bag closely around the base of the plant.

There has long existed in the nursery business the need for a suitable balling bag. Heretofore, balled nursery stock has been secured through the use of squares of burlap or the like drawn about the ball of dirt and tied at the base of the plant. Such squares do not suitably shape themselves to the ball of dirt and it is dicult to secure the four corners of such squares about the base of the plant. Often, two men are required to eifect even a fairly satisfactory balling eect when burlap squares are employed.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel biased balling bag which readily receives a ball of dirt of a nursery plant and substantially conforms to the contours thereof to provide a highly satisfactory holding device.

Another object is to provide a biased balling bag which readily receives a ball of dirt of a nursery plant and which may be easily secured about the base of the plant by one individual.

Another object is to provide a novel biased balling bag which overcomes the disadvantages existing in presently used balling devices, and which fulfills a long existing nursery demand for a suitable balling device.

Another object is to provide a novel method of forming a flexible balling bag.

Other objects are to provide a novel biased balling bag which is inexpensive, which is flexible in use through its biased formation, which may be readily formed, and which otherwise is superior to existing constructions.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages are apparent from the following description taken with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view of a portion of a strip of bur- 1 Claim. (C1. 47-37) 2 lap orthe like disposed with the tical and longitudinal relation;I

Fig. 2 is a view of 'a predetermined section-"oi burlap cut from the strip ofv Fig. 1 from which a biased balling bag formed in' accordance with the teachings of the present invention may 'be constructed, one end being shown folded back preparatory tov sewing.

Fig. 3 is a view of the bag material section of Fig. 2', showing the other end folded into contiguous relation with the'first f'oldede'nd, and stitched along the shown adjacentfedg'es;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 with the segment rotated into a vertical plane and the free end extending to the right folded underneath;

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 4, looking at the other side thereof and showing the remaining portions of the adjacent edges sewed together;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view greatly enlarged on substantially the line 6-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of a finished biased balling bag; and

Fig. 8 is a side view of a biased balling bag applied to the dirt ball of a shrub.

Referring to the drawing more particularly by reference numerals, I0 indicates generally a biased balling bag formed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention (Figs. 7 and 8). As illustrated, the bag I0 is made from a single piece of material I2 cut from the strip I3 of Fig. 1 which may be burlap or other suitable woven material. The piece of material I2 is of substantially parallelogram shape prior to sewing. Edges I4 and IE are brought into overlapped contiguous relation and are sewed by stitching 22, the stitching 22 running from bottom to top of the bag I0, as is clear from Figs. 4 and v5 which illustrate the two sides of the sewed tube segment into which the piece of material I2 is formed. Edges I8 and 20 of the piece of material I2 form the top and bottom edges of the bag IIJ.

After the biased tube segment of Figs. 4 and 5 is formed by the stitching 22, it is turned so that the stitching 22 is disposed inwardly. The material along the bottom edge 20 is gathered as shown in Fig. 7, and a wire element 24 or the like is employed to secure the material in a bunch as shown to form the bottom of the bag I0. The bag I0 is then ready for use.

In Fig. 8, the bag I0 is shown about the dirt ball of a shrub 26. The material along the top edge I8 is gathered about the base of the shrub 26 and is secured thereto by a string 28 or the weavefinl verlike. Since the material of which the bag l is formed is on a bias, the bag lll readily conforms to the ball of dirt of the shrub 2B, as is shown in Fig. 8, so that the dirt about the roots of the shrub 2B is maintained in its balled relation thereto. A single worker can readily apply the bag l0 to a ball of dirt about the roots of a shrub and secure the same in a matter of seconds and Without assistance from a fellow worker.

If desired, the Wire element 24 may be applied before the tube segment is turned in order to dispose the wire element 24 interiorly of the bag.

It is manifest that the bag lIl! may be formed by other means than that presently shown. For example, biased tubing may be cut into biased tubing segments. Multiple piece construction may be employed if desired, although the one piece construction is preferable.

As shown, the angle of bias is at 30p-60 to the horizontal, but the degree of bias may be changed as desired. -It is a simple matter to change the angular relationship between the edges I6 and I8 to achieve the desired bias effect. Manifestly, the present biased balling bag fulfillsthe vobjects and advantages sought therefor. `It is to be understood that the foregoing description and the accompanying drawing have been given by Way of illustration and example. It is also to be understood that changes in form of the elements, rearrangement of parts or steps, and substitution of equivalent elements or steps,

which will be obvious to those skilled in the art, are contemplated as within the scope of the present invention which is limited only by the claim which follows.

What is claimed is:

A biased balling bag for securing the balled dirt of nursery stock, said bag comprising a main tubular body having one end bunched vtogether and secured to form a closed bottom, said body being formed from a parallelogram of loosely woven material having two only of its opposed edges parallel to the Weave of the material, said opposed edges being joined in a single seam along the full extent thereof, the aforesaid construction serving to adapt the bag to conform closely to the shape ofa ball of dirt upon being drawn thereabout.

HARRY B. KATZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS y 

